Prostate carcinoma is the second leading cause of death among men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 317,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996. While many of the small, localized prostate cancer appear not to be life-threatening, those that spread to other sites in the body are almost invariably fatal. The conventional treatment includes radical prostactomy, nerve-sparing prostatectomy, external-beam radiation, seed radiation, cryotherapy and hormone therapy. Each of these therapies has serious side effects and other limitations (Review: Schroder F. H., Urology, 1995 September; 46 (3 Supplement A): 62-70). The long term results show a rate of cancer recurrence after the treatment. Therefore, there is no permanent cure.
Serum PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a diagnostic parameter that has been used to monitor the stages of cancer development and the progress of the therapy. Serum PSA measures the substance emitted both by the normal prostate gland and by cancerous tissue in the prostate gland. With normal prostate gland, PSA reads between 0 to 4. Elevated PSA (higher than 5) indicates a sign of prostate carcinoma, benign prostate hyperplasia or prostatitis. The higher the PSA reading, the larger the volume of the cancer (Das et al., Eds. Cancer of the Prostate, New York, N.Y., Marcel Dekker Inc., 1993).
Serenoa repens or pygeum have been used to treat benign prostate hyperplasia (Vahlensieck et al., Fortschr-Medicine, 1993, Jun. 30, 111 (18):323-326). However, it appears there has been no application of herbs for the treatment of prostatic carcinoma.
Fan and Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,979 discloses a combination of the herbs Ganoderma lucidum Karst, Rabdosia rubescens and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. with other herbs for treatment of cancers other than prostate cancer.